The story is the classic Robin Hood tale, and it’s all here:
the fateful shooting of the King’s deer; Robin’s ignominious
duckings upon his first meetings with Little John (Alan Hale) and
Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette); Robin’s penchant for entertaining
wealthy victims in high Sherwood style before relieving them of
their gold; the trap archery contest which a disguised Robin wins
by splitting his opponent’s arrow; the return of Richard (Ian
Hunter) from the Crusades disguised in monk’s attire.

Innovations on the legend include a bravura early scene in
which Robin boldly confronts Prince John at dinner and promises
to oppose him by every means possible, and the initially prickly
relationship between the rough Saxon Robin and the noble Norman
Marian.

While not the acrobat Douglas Fairbanks Sr. was in the
1922 silent version, Flynn is
still a consummate action hero, leaping, climbing, and fighting
with great alacrity. His best stunt recalls Fairbanks’s great
scene on the drawbridge chain, as Robin slashes the rope holding
up a castle portcullis, then rides the rope to the top of the
wall as the portcullis comes crashing down, trapping the pursuing
soldiers inside the castle while our hero drops down on the other
side to freedom.

Finally available on DVD, The Adventures of Robin Hood has been fully restored and
comes loaded with extras, including a documentary on the film’s
making and a tribute to other screen Robin Hoods, notably Douglas
Fairbanks.